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Friday, September 11, 2015

Vatican City, 11 September 2015 (VIS) –
This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received
in audience Tomislav Nikolic, president of the Republic of Serbia,
who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,
accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for
Relations with States.

In the cordial discussions, the good
existing relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Serbia
were demonstrated, and the parties considered issues of mutual
interest regarding the relationship between the ecclesial and civil
communities, with particular reference to ecumenical dialogue and the
contribution of the Catholic Church to the common good of Serbian
society.

Attention then turned to Serbia's
progress towards full integration in the European Union, as well as
various situations of a regional and international nature, including
the condition of Syrian and Iraqi refugees and displaced persons, and
the importance of promoting a shared solution to the current crisis.

Vatican City, 11 September 2015 (VIS) –
“Called to evangelise: witnesses and messengers of the joy of the
Gospel”, was the theme of the General Chapter of the Congregation
of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
Mary (Claretians) whom Pope Francis received this morning in audience
in the Consistory Hall. The following are extensive extracts from the
written discourse the Pope handed to the attendees of the Chapter, to
whom he also addressed some unscripted remarks.

“'Witnesses' because joy cannot be
communicated if it is not present and deeply rooted both in one's own
life and in that of the community”, writes the Holy Father.
“'Messengers' because good must be shared and, in sharing, joy is
purified and multiplied, becoming truly 'evangelical'”.

“How did the Congregation meet in
this Chapter analysis? In this exercise of discernment, how did the
voice of the Spirit challenge you?”, asks Francis, adding that a
sure path for discerning His call is found in “listening in the
different peripheries of the world. In them, His voice resonates with
greater clarity. This is even more important for a missionary
Congregation like yours”.

He goes on to recall that to mark the
occasion of the current Year of Consecrated Life he had sent a letter
to all consecrated persons inviting them to look to the past with
gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future
with hope, and he explains to the Claretians how to respond to this
invitation.

“'Looking to the past with gratitude'
means thanking God for the witness of many of your brethren who,
supported by their faith, live their vocation with profound joy –
in some cases unto martyrdom. It also means recognising the
mysterious hand of the Lord who, despite our weakness and our
inconstancy, continues to work miracles through His Church. 'Living
the present with passion' is basing your missionary programme on the
spirit of St. Antonio Maria Claret whose motto, on his episcopal coat
of arms, is 'Caritas Christi urget nos'. Loving as Jesus loved must
infuse all of our choices in life and in pastoral ministry.
'Embracing the future with hope' means not allowing ourselves to be
held back by disillusionment. Do not be afraid. It is the Lord who
sends you. Always keep your eyes on those who await the announcement,
those who need His witness to feel the merciful presence of God in
their lives”.

Francis thanks the members of the
Congregation for their missionary life and work, also asking them to
greet all their brethren on his behalf, “especially those who, due
to illness or advanced age, collaborate through prayer and witness to
the mission of the congregation”.

“St. Antonio Maria Claret, your
founder, gave your congregation a beautiful name: Sons of the
Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, concludes the Pope.
“Let all the dimensions of your lives be profoundly marked by this
'intimacy', that inspired in Mary the beautiful hymn of the
Magnificat; and express the maternity of the Church, merciful mother,
who never ceases to hope, to accompany and to forgive”.

Vatican City, 11 September 2015 (VIS) –
This morning in the Clementine Hall the Holy Father met with the
three hundred participants in the meeting promoted by the Foundation
for Sustainable Development, “Environmental justice and climate
change”, attended by major representatives of religion, politics,
economic activity and scientific research in various sectors,
international organisations and those involved in the fight against
poverty.

“We must not forget the grave social
consequences of climate change”, affirmed the Pope in his address.
“It is the poorest who suffer the worst consequences. Therefore …
the issue of climate change is a a matter of justice; it is also a
question of solidarity, that must never be separated from justice. …
Science and technology place an unprecedented power in our hands: it
is our duty to humanity as a whole, and in particular the poorest and
future generations, to use it for the common good”.

“Will our generation be remembered
for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities?” he
asked. “Amid the many contradictions of our time, we have good
enough reason to nurture the hope of being able to do so. And we
should let ourselves be guided by this hope. In fulfilling this
commitment, I hope that each one of you may experience the
satisfaction of participating in actions that transmit life. The joy
of the Gospel also resides here”.

We are all called upon directly to be
responsible and fraternal, and to defend our dignity as people and
citizens of the world “by virtue of the role that we occupy in the
family, in the world of work, the economy and research, in civil
society and in institutions”. This does not involve producing
“improbable recipes”, as no-one has them, but rather bringing
what we have understood to the dialogue. “Everyone is required to
contribute with a view to attaining a result that can only be the
fruit of a joint effort. The great enemy, in this aspect, is
hypocrisy”, emphasised the Pope.

To this end, this dialogue needs to be
inspired by “a vision as transparent as it is broad-ranging” and
must proceed “according to an integral and above all participatory
approach, including all interested parties, including those who more
easily remain at the margins of institutional processes”. Francis
urged those present to spare no effort, “so that at the tables in
which a solution is sought to the unique and complex
socio-environmental crisis the voice of the poorest may be heard”,
since “this too is a duty of environmental justice. Faced with the
emergency of climate change and looking ahead to the crucial
appointments scheduled for the coming months – the approval of the
Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations at the end of
this month and above all the COP 21 in Paris at the beginning of
December – I wish to propose that this dialogue become an authentic
alliance leading to truly significant and effective global
environmental agreements”.

“Along the way you can count on my
personal support and that of the Church, starting with the
indispensable contribution of prayer. From now on I offer to the Lord
our joint effort, asking His blessing so that humanity may finally
know how to listen to the cry of the land – today our mother earth
is among the many excluded who ask for help from Heaven – our
mother and our sister, and of the poorest among us who inhabit the
earth and care for her. In this way creation will increasingly
resemble the common home that the sole Father imagined for us a a
gift to the universal family of His creatures”, concluded the Holy
Father.

Vatican City, 11 September 2015 (VIS) –
In a letter published today, written in Latin and dated 11 August,
the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of
Paris, France, as his special envoy to the mass with the rite for the
dedication of the new cathedral of the diocese of Creteil, France, to
be held on 20 September.